Today is your day Boomer! A perfect topic for Superbowl Sunday....a day when many Boomers sit around, watch the game, and consumer large quantities of food and alcohol. Yup...that's us, many with bulging waistlines(see picture)! But...is this really most of us? Because a lot of Boomers I know are very active, fit, and pretty slim. One recent study from the University of Alberta states "Weight gain in this cohort is driven by metabolism slowing around age 60, hormonal shifts, and sedentary lifestyles." In fact, obesity is rising in our generation Boomers! Maybe....because...we are retired and sitting more, maybe our addiction to television, our padded wallets which allow us access to more restaurants and pubs, or maybe....our older, slower arthritic bones which discourage us from exercising. Lots of good excuses out there, but we need to stand( not sit!) tall in the face of this bigger belly problem. How bad is it? One publication(Simcoe.com) says it this way: "It seems boomers are booming in an entirely new direction. Renowned for going where no generation has gone before, boomers are rapidly gaining a reputation for being the fattest group ever... in the history of the planet." Oh boy...let's hit the treadmill team! Go Patriots and cheers!
Today is your day Boomer! And today is another day for wining......and I don't mean complaining. I mean drinking some pressed grapes and enjoying the health benefits. That's right, drinking alcohol is good for you. First, let's state the obvious....only in moderate amounts: two glasses per day for men and one for women. Research shows the following positive health effects: (1) reduces risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson disease (2) is an anti-flammatory(white wine is better for this) (3) decreases risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol(red wine is a better choice) (4) good for mental health, may increase age longevity, may promote healthy gut bacteria. All of this sounds good and much of it boils down to the antioxidants which are higher in red wine. It seems reds--like Merlot, Cab Sav, and Shiraz--have been studied more.....which means more research is needed on whites. Boomers, maybe we could volunteer for a new study! Cheers!

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